U.S. equities are pushing higher on Tuesday as traders await the start of another two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting. A dovish outcome is expected, with the "dot plot" expected to come down to reflect only a single rate hike in 2019 and another single hike in 2020.The bulls are feeling confident, once again pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average up and over the 26,000 level for the fourth time since prices peaked back in October 2018. Will this rally in Dow Jones stocks have staying power?It looks that way, with global central banks doing all they can to paper over the volatility suffered late last year. With inflation at bay, they don't have much reason to play the tough cop act the market hates so much.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * The 10 Best Stocks to Buy for the Bull Market's Anniversary With that in mind, here are five Dow Jones stocks that have lagged the market's rise -- and will be critical in helping push the Dow definitively past the 26,000 threshold. Boeing (BA) Click to EnlargeBoeing (NYSE:BA) shares have stabilized after hitting major turbulence in connection to the two fatal crashes of 787 MAX aircraft because of what looks like a design flaw connected to an anti-stall system. Boeing, under competitive pressure, reportedly buried details of the system's operation to avoid airlines retraining pilots. Shares were recently downgraded from buy to hold by analysts at Argus. But the worst looks to be over for the company, which will have to pay to make it right before getting back to its massive list of backorders.The company will next report results on May 1 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $4.25 per share on revenues of $25 billion. When the company last reported on Jan. 30, earnings of $5.48 beat estimates by 93 cents on a 14.4% rise in revenues. Caterpillar (CAT) Click to EnlargeCaterpillar (NYSE:CAT) shares are on the move, pushing off of uptrend channel support going back to late October. The bulls are shaking off a double downgrade day from late February when analysts at UBS cut all the way from buy to sell on worries about revenue and margin pressure in 2020. Instead, nascent hope of a manufacturing and construction turnaround are bolstering prices. * 5 of the Best Stocks to Buy Under $10 The company will next report results on April 29 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $2.86 per share on revenues of $13.5 billion. When the company last reported on Jan. 28, earnings of $2.55 missed estimates by 44 cents on a 11.2% rise in revenues. DowDuPont (DWDP) Click to EnlargeDowDuPont (NYSE:DWDP) shares are coiling up within the confines of a consolidation range going back to October, rising off of its 50-day and 20-day moving averages in what looks like the beginning of an upside breakout. The company announced this week that a broker-dealer has been selected to implement a $3 billion share buyback following the separation of its Dow subsidiary from DowDuPont.The company will next report results on May 2 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of 93 cents per share on revenues of $20 billion. When the company last reported on Jan. 31, earnings of 88 cents per share beat estimates by a penny on a 0.2% rise in revenues. Goldman Sachs (GS) Click to EnlargeShares of Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) are emerging from a three-month consolidation range, pushing towards its 200-day moving average in what looks like a possible end to a downtrend that traces back to early 2018. Investors are getting excited about reports the company is looking to launch a new credit card product in collaboration with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) as well as general stabilization in the capital markets, which is resulting in a reopening of the IPO window with Lyft. * 7 Invincible Stocks Leading The Bull Market Higher The company will next report results on April 17 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $5.7 per share on revenues of $9.3 billion. When the company last reported on Jan. 16, earnings of $6.04 beat estimates by $1.26 on a 0.5% drop in revenues. Home Depot (HD) Click to EnlargeWith the peak home-buying season about to arrive, hopes of a turnaround in home prices (which have been sagging nationally lately) are raising, and thus, home improvement demand is expected to increase. Home Depot (NYSE:HD) shares have been consolidating since October but look ready for another breakout attempt above its 200-day moving average. A couple of analyst downgrades in recent weeks, including from Telsey Advisory Group, hasn't dampened investors' spirits.The company will next report results on May 28 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $2.20 per share on revenues of $26.5 billion. When the company last reported on Feb. 26, earnings of $2.25 per share beat estimates by 9 cents on a 10.9% rise in revenues.As of this writing, William Roth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Financial Stocks to Invest In Today * 7 Single-Digit P/E Stocks With Massive Upside * 5 Chip Stocks on the Rise Compare Brokers The post 5 Dow Jones Stocks Coming to Life appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Home improvement retailer Lowe's Companies Inc. (LOW) may not be as big as Home Depot (HD), but its stock should be at least priced on par with the larger rival. Lowe's generated $3.7 billion in net income on $71.1 billion in sales from 2,133 stores versus Home Depot's $105.5 billion in sales and $8.6 billion in profit from nearly 2,300 stores. Home Depot's forward earnings multiple is 18, while Lowe's is 16.6.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD), like so many other stocks that rely on a healthy real estate market, has had a tough go of it over the past year.Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr (Modified)While it has still managed to score a nearly 3% gain in the past 12 months (and another nearly 3% in its dividend), it hasn't been the wild ride that tech stocks have had. Granted, it is still off its September 2108 highs, but it has been more a controlled slide than a precipitous drop.And ironically, the thing that looks like HD's great hope moving forward is a slowing economy, not one that is heating up.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Looking Forward in HD StockAs we saw last year, when there were signs that the U.S. economy was starting to roar back to life, the Federal Reserve was ready with its counter measures to hold runaway inflation at bay -- interest rate hikes.Also, selling off the massive mortgage-backed securities (MBS) portfolio it has purchased over the past decade is something that analysts say also can act like a de facto interest rate rise. * 15 Stocks That May Be Hurt by This Year's Big IPOs This rate rise saw mortgages go up and potential homeowners, as well as refinancing and home equity loan activity, stall. And that meant HD stock was out of luck. That's especially true on the homebuilding side, because a lion's share of its revenue comes from contractors rather than individual consumers.Once the market started to absorb the implications, it started to lower its expectations of HD stock. Fortunately Home Depot wasn't ever overbought like some of the homebuilders, so while it was painted with the same brush, it didn't get as many coats.But once the market adjusted to a slower economy in 2019 and the massive adjustment in the broad market took place in December, we're back in a good space moving forward.HD stock is up 6% year to date. The Federal Reserve has backed off on its inflation-phobic policies and is planning on giving the economy space to grow. And it's slowing down the sale of is MBS portfolio.All this is very good news for Home Depot stock moving forward.What's more, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced Wednesday that mortgage applications were up last week by 2.3%. That's a sign lower mortgage rates are starting to have an effect in the marketplace.It's always a challenge to be a market leader. While you have the size and money to weather economic storms, you're also the first company hit when the sector is challenged. You're usually expected to grow faster in good times but suffer less in bad times. Yet your stock is usually hit first when things start headed south.In a market as big as the housing market, these moves take a while to work themselves out. Looking at these trends on a quarterly basis doesn't really do the whole sector justice.For example, according to a recent study released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, for just the home renovation business alone is worth $450 billion annually in the U.S.That's a big ship to turn.My Portfolio Grader gives HD stock a C rating right now, but it's cheap and reliable, so if you want to step and take its dividend on a down payment for future growth, it may well be worth it.Louis Navellier is a renowned growth investor. He is the editor of four investing newsletters: Growth Investor, Breakthrough Stocks, Accelerated Profits and Platinum Growth. His most popular service, Growth Investor, has a track record of beating the market 3:1 over the last 14 years. He uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify market-beating stocks. Mr. Navellier has made his proven formula accessible to investors via his free, online stock rating tool, PortfolioGrader.com. Louis Navellier may hold some of the aforementioned securities in one or more of his newsletters. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Dividend Stocks to Buy Today * 7 ETFs to Buy to Ride the Longevity Economy * 7 Winning High-Yield Dividend Stocks With Payouts Over 5% Compare Brokers The post Should You Buy Home Depot Stock for Its Dividend? appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) jumped 5% trading following the warehouse retailer's positive earnings news on March 7. But broader market pressure put a damper on COST stock despite strong results. But it's because of those good results that this action caught our eye. After the big move, Costco stock continued to climb, leaving many investors to wonder what to do now.Is there still time to get long?Costco stock is setting up as a solid long for several reasons. Let's discuss three of them.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Costco Stock EarningsFor the fiscal second quarter, Costco stock reported earning per share of $2.01, 31 cents ahead of expectations. That 18% earnings surprise pushed the performance up more than 40% year-over-year (YoY). However, revenue of $35.65 billion came up short by more than $250 million, despite growing more than 7.2% YoY. A bottom-line beat and top-line miss can spell trouble for a stock, particularly on a bad market day like the one we had on Friday. * 15 Stocks Sitting on Huge Piles of Cash But that wasn't the case for COST stock and I think it's due to the strength in the business once we dig past the headline results. Forex and gas deflation weighed on revenue, as did the weather in some cases. Given the winter we've had, it's hard to deny that as a factor. If these issues caused the miss, investors were apparently fine with overlooking the sales shortfall. Further, U.S. comp-store sales jumped 7.2% YoY, but online sales were even more impressive. E-commerce comps jumped 25.5% YoY, showing just how well Costco is adjusting its business model for its customers.To be sure, the results could have been stronger, but it was still a pretty good showing for one of the market's premier retailers. Coupled with some of the catalysts below, the report is enough to help, not hinder COST stock. Trading Costco Stock Click to EnlargeAfter a solid rally on Friday, March 8, COST stock followed up with an explosive move higher on the following Monday and Tuesday. All told, shares are now up around 8% since reporting earnings. However, according to the relative strength index, the stock price was overbought in the short-term. As shown in the chart above, over the past 12 months this type of condition has tended to put pressure on Costco stock in the short term.If we get that here, I would love to see a few days of sideways action and/or a slight pullback. It would be a very healthy way for Costco stock to digest the big rally. On a pullback, it would be bullish to see the $230 level hold as support and give its 20-day moving average a chance to catch up to the move.If COST stock starts to move higher again, $240 could be a reasonable upside target, with former highs near $245 as the second target. On the downside, I'm watching $230. If it doesn't hold, I want to see the 20-day or uptrend support hold. Below $225 and Costco stock will be concerning from the long side over the short-term.Overall though, it's hard to be too bearish after a rally like this. Analysts Are Boosting EstimatesWe're halfway through Costco's fiscal year and full-year estimates are impressive. Analysts now expect the company to earn $7.92 per share, up 11.7% from last year, with 7.7% sales growth. For next year, consensus expectations call for a deceleration in growth as analysts expect earnings and revenue to grow 7.4% and 6.9%, respectively.It's worth pointing out that current-year estimates of $7.92 per share are up from $7.76 just a week ago. Still, Costco stock trades at a premium, at 29 times this year's earnings. That's in-line with its five-year average, while its forward price-to-earnings ratio of ~27 is roughly in-line as well. However, COST stock is trading at a premium to some of its other metrics. * 15 Stocks That May Be Hurt by This Year's Big IPOs Is that premium deserved? Like Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and other premier companies, Costco knows it won't dominate Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). Because it collects an annual fee from its 52 million members and retains a high percentage of those members (with a retention rate above 90% last quarter), Costco has flexibility. Its online and same-day delivery show strong growth and Costco will be one of the companies that not only survives but thrives from e-commerce growth.When it comes to dividend yield, Costco is no Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), as it pays out just 1%. However, last April the company bumped this payout by 14%, which is roughly in-line with its five-year average of 14.5% annual dividend growth. That's a solid raise to receive each year, particularly considering how well COST stock has done in that span as well, up 105%.Costco stock isn't cheap, but it deserves its premium valuation as a blue-chip retailer.Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell is long AMZN. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Dividend Stocks to Buy Today * 7 ETFs to Buy to Ride the Longevity Economy * 7 Winning High-Yield Dividend Stocks With Payouts Over 5% Compare Brokers The post 3 Reasons to Buy Costco Stock After Strong Earnings Show Business Strength appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. fell 1.3% in afternoon trade Friday, ahead of the hardwood flooring seller's fourth-quarter results. It may not be a big surprise to see the stock sell off ahead of results--it has tumbled 14.3% this month (the S&P 500 has gained 1.6%). The stock has plunged on the day of the past five earnings reports, by an average of 13.1%. Even though some analysts said $33 million fine levied this week on the company, for making fraudulent statements to investors regarding unsafe flooring sourced from China, removes the last major legal overhand, Wall Street remains unanimously cautious, with all 8 analysts surveyed by FactSet rating the company the equivalent of "hold." Wedbush's Budd Bugatch said in a recent note that he's encouraged by the legal progress, there's still uncertainty regarding the underlying store operating model, the lack of resolution of the China tariffs and increasing competition from Home Depot Inc. , Lowe's Companies and Floor & Decor Holdings Inc. .

After reporting a less-than-stellar quarter on Feb. 26, investors began selling shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD). It hasn't been catastrophic for Home Depot stock, but shares have been under pressure since the report.Source: Shutterstock The numbers of Lowe's (NYSE:LOW) are likely having an effect too. After initially rallying on the report, the stock fell for seven straight sessions. That's caused a lot of investors to ask whether these stocks are worth owning at this point. Spring SeasonInvestors are seemingly overlooking the spring season. When the holidays roll around, of course Home Depot, Lowe's and others do well in sales. Every family's handyman or DIY member is eligible for a home improvement gift, right? Right.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 15 Stocks That May Be Hurt by This Year's Big IPOs But that hardly compares to the numbers that HD stock will put up in the second quarter as homeowners and contractors get to work fixing up houses, cleaning up yards and renovating kitchens and bathrooms. As such, Home Depot will bring on 80,000 new workers to account for the increase in demand.The downside to all this? These results show up in Q2, not Q1, which HD is in right now. That said, the silver lining here is that investors have an opportunity to buy or accumulate Home Depot stock while it's under pressure. That's better than buying a stock red-hot into its best numbers. Valuing Home Depot StockHome Depot is a high-quality company, but it's seen better years when it comes to growth. For the current year, estimates call for earnings growth of just 2.2%, despite expectations for 3.2% revenue growth.Estimates for next year improve, where analysts expect 9.3% earnings growth on 4.6% sales growth. Although, it's hard to put too much weight into next fiscal year when we've only just begun this one.So where does that leave HD stock? Shares trade at about 18 times this year's earnings, which isn't necessarily cheap but is also far from expensive. Investors also need to consider the Home Depot's 3% dividend yield down near these levels.Over the last six years, Home Depot has traded with a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 20 on the low end and 25 on the high end. So below this mark now, it's technically undervalued vs. its recent five-year history.Further, assuming one overlooks the December selloff, they'd have to go all the way back to 2011 to find HD stock paying out a higher dividend yield. That's following the company's 32% boost last month.Home Depot is making the investments necessary to makes its online game stand tall against companies like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), has a below-average valuation vs. its historical range and is paying out a 3% dividend yield. I'll admit that the growth is somewhat stagnant for the year, but there's a lot to like about HD stock for the patient investor. Trading HD Stock Click to EnlargeHome Depot has fallen about $10 from its pre-earnings levels, but that ~5% loss isn't too hard for most investors to stomach. For now, the 50-day moving average is propping up HD, while the 61.8% and 38.2% Fibonacci retracements are keeping it range bound.A break of either one of those Fib levels will likely send that stock in the continued direction. Meaning, a break below the 38.2% Fib will likely send HD stock lower and a breakout over the 61.8% Fib will likely send Home Depot higher.At this point though, with the lack of a real catalyst, the risk is to the downside. Should Home Depot stock lose the 50-day and subsequently Fib support, the stock could see $170 again.In that sense, investors who want to trade HD stock can go long near current levels, with a stop-loss on a close below this key area. Long-term investors though may consider this an advantageous spot to add to their position.Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell is long AMZN. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 15 Stocks Sitting on Huge Piles of Cash * The 10 Best Stocks to Buy for the Bull Market's Anniversary * 7 Dividend Stocks With Big Yields Compare Brokers The post Now Is One of the Best Opportunities to Buy Home Depot Stock appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Sovos Brands, a food and beverage company, announced Thursday the appointment of Carol Tomé to its board of directors, where she will also chair the company's audit committee. Tomé is currently chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate services for Home Depot (NYSE: HD), but in addition to her retail and financial services expertise, she is a seasoned chair of audit committees and is currently chair of the audit committee for the UPS (NYSE: UPS) Board of Directors. "We're honored to welcome Carol to the Sovos Brands Board," said William R. Johnson, chairman of the board for Sovos Brands and operating partner with Advent International. "Her expertise will be invaluable to the Sovos leadership team as they continue on their mission to acquire premium, on-trend brands with high-quality products that have significant growth opportunities." With the addition of Tomé, the Sovos Brands Board of Directors consists of six members including Bill Johnson, board chairman and operating partner with Advent International; Jeff Case, managing director at Advent International; David Roberts, principal at Advent International; Noosa Yoghurt's Co-founder Rob Graves and Todd Lachman, president and CEO of Sovos Brands.

U.S. stock futures are trading higher this morning as buyers look to extend the market rally for the third day in a row.Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are up 0.28% and S&P 500 futures are higher by 0.23%. Nasdaq-100 futures have added 0.32%.Yesterday's narrow trading range left little to talk about in the options pits. The upward drift in stocks continues to stunt put demand. Calls ruled the day while overall volume patterns hung around average levels. Specifically, about 17.2 million calls and 14.4 million puts changed hands on the session.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsWith the excitement of Monday's mega-rally giving way to a relatively calm session, the CBOE single-session equity put/call volume ratio returned to the middle of its range at 0.66. The 10-day moving average shares the same spot at 0.66.Boeing (NYSE:BA) nosedived 6% amid ongoing safety concerns surrounding its 747 MAX 8 aircraft. Home Depot (NYSE:HD) calls were hoppin' ahead of Wednesday's ex-dividend date. Finally, Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) continued its comeback after a successful 50-day moving average test.Let's take a closer look: Boeing (BA)The impact of Sunday's tragic plane crash continues to ripple across the globe. The number of airlines and countries grounding the 747 MAX 8 airplane has grown to include the UK, China, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and others. Boeing shares once again found themselves fighting to stay a loft in a volatile session that ultimately ended with the stock falling 6.15% amid heavy volume. This morning BA is down another 1.2% in premarket trading. * 15 Stocks Sitting on Huge Piles of Cash All told, the aerospace titan has lost more than $40 billion of market value since this year's high.Given the massive range of Monday's trading, yesterday registered an inside day. The fact that buyers emerged to prevent the stock from breaking Monday's low is the most bullish takeaway from the volatile session. Should that $365 level hold firm, BA may escape this drama with its long-term uptrend intact. Break below it, however, and things will turn nasty.On the options trading front, things were split 50-50 between calls and puts despite the day's descent. Activity remained lofty at 549% of the average daily volume, with 474,436 total contracts traded.The rocket-like rise in implied volatility continued for a second day, driving the reading to 44%. That places it at the 79th percent of its one-year range signaling premiums have expanded to their highest levels since mid-December. Short option trades like bull puts and iron condors are becoming an increasingly attractive way to play BA. Home Depot (HD)Home Depot's trading on Tuesday was uneventful on the surface. Buyers won the contest, if only slightly, with a 0.7% gain on the session. However, the looming dividend payout lit a fire in call trading.The price trend for HD stock has improved this year, especially compared to the beatdown suffered in the fourth quarter. Falling interest rates and the housing sector returning to health were two likely culprits, not to mention the improving backdrop of the broader stock market.Though last month's earnings release caused the stock to stumble, this week's successful test of the 50-day moving average should embolden bulls. Home Depot is scheduled to trade ex-dividend on Wednesday which means those that don't own the stock beforehand will not receive the quarterly payment of $1.36. Based on yesterday's close, the dividend yield is around 3%.As is usually the case ahead of a dividend, calls dominated the options scene. Activity ballooned to 293% of the average daily volume, with 87,209 total contracts traded. 88% of the trading came from call options alone.Implied volatility remains subdued at 18% placing it at the 12th percentile of its one-year range. Premiums are pricing in daily moves of $2.06 or 1.1%. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)This week's market rebound is breathing new life into semiconductor stocks. And that has traders once again flocking to AMD shares.Volatility has receded over the past six weeks, allowing the stock to build a sideways base or consolidation zone. Friday's upside reversal marked a successful test of the zone's lower end and reaffirms that buyers are in control.On the options trading front, calls outpaced puts by a modest margin. Activity inched higher to 102% of the average daily volume, with 204,377 total contracts traded. Calls accounted for 62% of the day's take.As the excitement for AMD shares has died down, so too has the implied volatility. At 42%, the metric used by traders to identify if options are cheap or expensive is now sitting at the 7th percentile of its one-year range. Options are officially inexpensive. The daily expected moves are now 62 cents, or 2.6%.As of this writing, Tyler Craig didn't hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Check out his recently released Bear Market Survival Guide to learn how to defend your portfolio against market volatility. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 5 of the Best Stocks to Buy Under $10 * 7 Retail Stocks Winning in 2019 and Beyond * The 10 Best Stocks to Buy for the Bull Market's Anniversary Compare Brokers The post Wednesday's Vital Data: Boeing, Home Depot and Advanced Micro Devices appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Home Depot Inc NYSE:HDView full report here! Summary * Perception of the company's creditworthiness is neutral * ETFs holding this stock have seen outflows over the last one-month * Bearish sentiment is low Bearish sentimentShort interest | PositiveShort interest is extremely low for HD with fewer than 1% of shares on loan. This could indicate that investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices are not currently targeting HD. Money flowETF/Index ownership | NegativeETF activity is negative. Over the last one-month, outflows of investor capital in ETFs holding HD totaled $1.70 billion. Additionally, the rate of outflows appears to be accelerating. Economic sentimentPMI by IHS Markit | NeutralAccording to the latest IHS Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data, output in the Consumer Services sector is rising. The rate of growth is weak relative to the trend shown over the past year, however. Credit worthinessCredit default swap | NeutralThe current level displays a neutral indicator. HD credit default swap spreads are within the middle of their range for the last three years.Please send all inquiries related to the report to score@ihsmarkit.com.Charts and report PDFs will only be available for 30 days after publishing.This document has been produced for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon or as construed as investment advice. To the fullest extent permitted by law, IHS Markit disclaims any responsibility or liability, whether in contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence), equity or otherwise, for any loss or damage arising from any reliance on or the use of this material in any way. Please view the full legal disclaimer and methodology information on pages 2-3 of the full report.

Some unexpected names have turned up on Goldman Sachs' list. While the company has been getting mixed reviews from analysts in recent weeks, its overall strong performance has been a consistent bright point in the stock market. HD shares have appreciated 154% over the last five years, and the average annual return since the bull market started in 2009 has been 29%.

A month after the biggest decline in 10 years, sales at U.S. retailers rebounded slightly in January, led by Internet stores and home centers. Retail sales rose 0.2% in January vs. a revised 1.6% drop in December.